Soggy June and more rain on the way

A nearly-weeklong threat of heavy rain and storms will keep temperatures below normal but also could mean residents and meteorologists cast weary eyes toward local waterways.

The forecast calls for a 50 percent chance of showers and storms overnight Monday into Tuesday. An 80 percent chance of storms then remains from Tuesday through Wednesday night, with high temperatures both days reaching 80 and lows dipping to the mid-60s. There’s a 40 percent chance of storms Thursday with a high of 84.

A slight, 20 percent chance of storms remains for Friday as temperatures are expected to rebound to around 90.

The dry holiday weekend helped local river levels lower, according to the latest readings from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“Right now, we’re looking at a falling river, for most part,” said Mike Peterson, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chief of Public Affairs. “The crest has passed all the way down to the southern tip of the Ohio River at the confluence at Cairo. But that doesn’t mean we’re letting up.”

Hydrologist Mark Fuchs, of the National Weather Service in St. Louis, said Belleville has recorded more than 9-and-a-half inches of precipitation since June 1.

“That’s a lot of rain,” Fuchs said.

Flood warnings are in place along the Mississippi River in light of the storms that are forecast throughout the week.

“We’re about to get a good shot of rain, and we will be under a flash flood watch for a while here on the Mississippi River at St. Louis,” Fuchs said. “It has been coming down. The crest happened in June, but there is receding at the moment right now.”

Peterson said the Corps is preparing for the coming rainfall that is forecast during the next few days.

“Our folks are still out in the field along the Illinois River and lower Mississippi keeping an eye on things,” he said. “There is still water up against the levies.”

Detailed weather information

This story was originally published July 6, 2015 at 6:51 AM with the headline "Soggy June and more rain on the way."